1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a capsule filled with an energy-enhancing substance. A portion of the capsule is constructed of a water or saliva-soluble material, so that it dissolves when placed in a user's mouth, releasing the energy-enhancing substance for consumption. The invention will be appreciated by busy users who lack the time to drink a caffeinated beverage as well as those users performing activities that require both hands, rendering it difficult to continuously pick-up and drink from a beverage.
Every day individuals struggle with the symptoms of fatigue. It manifests in several forms including mental, physical and even emotional fatigue. The symptoms of mental sluggishness, weary muscles, and lack of energy can make it difficult for a person to make it through their workday. Tasks requiring mental acuity, attention to detail, and precision motor skills can be excruciatingly difficult under the effects of fatigue. To combat these effects people often consume caffeinated beverages such as coffee, tea or energy drinks. Consumption of energy-enhancing beverages can be problematic if a vendor is not readily available or if a user's work requires both hands. For instance doctors and nurses may be unable to leave an emergency area to procure a caffeinated beverage, or may not be allowed to have a beverage container within a sterile area. A solution is needed that provides individuals with an energy-enhancing substance in a form that does not require messy beverages or the use of a person's hands.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Oral energy supplements are ingested by a user to obtain a temporary increase in overall body energy. A variety of substances are used to provide different effects to a user. The present invention is an oral energy supplement with the structure of a capsule containing an energy enhancing substance. Any portion of the capsule can be water or saliva-soluble. The prior art fails to describe a capsule containing an energy-enhancing substance, that is constructed wholly or in part, of a water or saliva-soluble material.
Calton, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2007/0031539 discloses a saliva-permeable pouch containing a caffeinated substance. The pouch is elongated and sealed at either end to create an interior pocket region. Coffee grounds, tea or other caffeinated substances may be stored within the interior pouch. When the pouch is placed within a user's mouth, saliva enters the interior pocket through small perforations in the walls of the pouch. Saliva activates the caffeinated substances, which then flows back across the walls of the pouch and into a user's mouth for digestion. The device of Calton is made of a saliva-permeable material such as cloth or plastic mesh. Saliva is allowed to enter and exit the interior pocket, but the walls of the device do not breakdown and dissolve. This means that a user must hold the pouch in his or her mouth for an extended period of time while caffeine is released. The pouch must then be removed from the user's mouth and discarded in a trash receptacle. This may be problematic for users who must talk often or those who are uncomfortable with leaving foreign objects in their mouths. The present invention solves this problem by providing a capsule that dissolves in a user's mouth, releasing the energy-enhancing substance into the mouth of a user. Thus there is no need for the user to hold the pouch in his or her mouth for an extended period. Users ingest larger amounts of the energy-enhancing substance than they would if the device were only saliva-permeable, resulting in a stronger boost of energy.
Another energy-boosting device is disclosed by “Sheets Brand™”. The device comprises a thin film that is water-soluble and contains a variety of pharmaceutical agents that activate when the film dissolves. Pharmaceutical agents may include chemicals for providing energy enhancement or facilitate sleep. The user takes a sheet of the film, places it on the tongue and then closes his or her mouth to flood the area with saliva. As the film breaks down, pharmaceutical agents are released into the flow of saliva and absorbed into the tongue. In this way, an energy booster or sleep aid is delivered to the user quickly. The device does not comprise an encapsulated area or enclosed space. It does not contain a particulate form of an energy-enhancing substance. The present invention provides a capsule that is wholly or partially dissolvable and contains an energy-enhancing substance. Because the substance is released into the mouth and digested, energy-enhancement is experienced in stages. First as the initial product is released into the mouth, then as the substance is digested. The present invention thus provides a longer lasting energy boost.
Sometimes referred to as oral thin films (OTFs), the rapidly dissolving water-soluble materials are used as an alternative to conventional pills and tablets. Active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) can be included in the film material during construction, and released into a user's mouth upon contact with saliva. Though the films are often used to facilitate the transfer of medicines to children, or breath fresheners to adults, the prior art does not disclose their use as dissolvable containers for energy-enhancing substances. The present invention uses small containers constructed in whole or in part of oral thin films to hold a substance while it is being absorbed by the human mouth.
The present invention provides a capsule that contains an energy-enhancing substance and is wholly or partially saliva-soluble. The prior art fails to disclose a device having the structure of the present invention and further fails to provide the same benefits as the present invention. It substantially diverges in design elements from the prior art and consequently it is clear that there is a need in the art for an improvement to existing orally ingested energy-boosting devices. In this regard the instant invention substantially fulfills these needs.